Pubdate: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 Source: Eagle-Tribune, The (MA) Copyright: 2006 The Eagle-Tribune Contact: http://www.eagletribune.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/129 Author: Joyce Nalepka Note: Joyce Nalepka is president of Drug-Free Kids: America. During the Reagan administration, she headed Nancy Reagan's National Federation of Parents. Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v06/n056/a02.html?277686 Cited: National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws http://www.norml.org Cited: Marijuana Policy Project http://www.mpp.org Cited: Students for Sensible Drug Policy http://www.SSDP.org Cited: Drug Policy Alliance http://www.drugpolicy.org Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/soros.htm (Soros, George) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?168 (Lewis, Peter) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Keith+Stroup (Keith Stroup) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?228 (Paraphernalia) DON'T FALL FOR 'SNAKE OIL' MARIJUANA PITCH To the editor: The Eagle-Tribune's Jan. 12 editorial recommending a careful review of the marijuana bill gives good advice. In fact, I would go further and recommend that this bill be shredded! The suggestion that smoking a noxious weed that has been declared dangerous to mental health by 13 major mental health agencies, causes accidents, school dropouts and myriad other problems, is linked to increased risk schizophrenia by four nations, makes one wonder what the bill sponsors were smoking! What most voters don't know is that there is a well-organized, well-financed movement of drug legalizers who are pushing these types of bills across the country. The oldest of these groups is the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). In 1979, NORML founder Keith Stroup promised to get marijuana legalized through medicalization. In 1993, one of their colleagues told attendees at a NORML conference, "In approximately 10 to 12 years, when the marijuana-using population encompasses a large chunk of the total adult population and becomes politically influential, the removal of criminal penalties for possession of marijuana will become a reality." Frankly, those of us who were diligently working to close drug paraphernalia shops and teach parents prevention didn't believe them; however, we didn't expect that two aging billionaires would be convinced to fund this dangerous effort. Today, currency trader George Soros and Progressive Insurance founder Peter Lewis have poured an estimated $40 million into funding the movement. Other organizations involved include the Marijuana Policy Project, Drug Policy Alliance and Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP). SSDP is working on college campuses to recruit young people to their movement. Citizens also need to ask themselves, "Do I want medicines approved by popular vote of elected citizens - the majority who likely have no medical research training?" That's how Laetrile was approved as a cancer treatment. It proved to be a worthless potion of ground apricot seeds and probably delayed some folks from getting legitimate treatment! The U.S. Food and Drug Administration was established to prevent this type of "snake oil" medicine. FDA only approves medicines that are proven, through aggressive research, to be both safe and effective. Smoked marijuana does not meet that standard. Research is ongoing to determine if any of the 421 different components have medical value. One of them, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), has shown some promise and is already available by prescription under the trade name Marinol (C). However, doctors tell us there are at least 15 other well-researched, approved pharmaceuticals that are far superior. I served as president of Nancy Reagan's National Federation of Parents during the Reagan administration and co-sponsored the bill that closed Maryland's drug paraphernalia shops. Assisted by thousands of parents and citizens like actress Carol Burnett, Marriott Hotel owner Bill Marriott and others, the shops were closed nationwide. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom